good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 midday, i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm keith. we begin with breaking news this morn. sad news from the football world. art modell the former owner of the ravens dead this morning at the age of 87. he bought the cleveland browns for just $4 million. he will be forever be known for moving the team to baltimore in 1996. the ravens won the super bowl in 2000. he sold the ravens in 2004. news 4 melissa mollet is in baltimore and will have more on

modell's passing at 11:30. fairfax county schools may change how they discipline students. the disciplinary policy. news 4 megan mcgrath has more now from fairfax. >> good morning. every student in the fairfax county public school system is bound by the rules and policies of the rights and responsibilities manual. but that manual is quite large. it's over 40 pages. and it's actually in the process of being updated and changed. that process, however, has not been without controversy. some parents have called for a reworking of the discipline rules and they want input into that process. well, later tonight, the school board will vote on the makeup of a 29-person committee that will look at the policies and then offer recommendations to the school board. now, the committee is to be made up of administrators, educators and parents, but some are concerned that the committee is too heavily weighed towards staff members. and they want assurances that school employees will not

outnumber parents. >> i'd like to see experts who know about student discipline, who deal with the outcomes of students who have been through the discipline process and their families. and i'd like to see the community outnumber the staff. >> but a spokesperson with the school system says the composition of the committee will not be set in stone tonight. he says that 12 appointees will be named at a later date by a school board member and many of those appointees could, indeed, be parents. he believes that at the end of the day, this committee will reflect all the parties who are involved in the issues. in fairfax county a, megan mcgrath, news 4. >> there is the possibility that nothing will be decided tonight. there is emotion on the table to postpone action on the committee until or by the committee by september 20th. turning to the weather now, some people in our area had to deal with some storms this morning. i had a little bit of rain i had to go through to get here. >> i felt a couple drops, as well. storm team 4 meteorologist

veronica johnson in for tom kierein. veronica, what did you feel? >> oh, i've been dry inside, but really watching the radar, keith. some folks had a few drops, some folks had the heavy rain and we have the gray sky right now. take a look at our rainfall totals where the heaviest rain has been right there. those two to three inch rains around spotsylvania and culpeper county. got the flash flood warning that continues until 11:15. you can see for these areas here around spotsylvania around spotford county. st. mary's county, and this flash flood warning goes until 1:45 because of the heavy a rain that's moving through there. and you can see in the yellow and orange, that's where there's still moderate rains coming through. just south of d.c. and, good news, the heavy stuff has already moved east of culpepper and fredericksburg but coming

down hard now in charles county and i'll have more on what we can expect for the rest of the day and the rest of the week and even the weekend, which shows some signs of fall, but i think you're going to like it. >> come on in here, we'll see you in a few minutes. >> we will like that. that is for sure. you know that plan to double rates on the dulles toll road, if you don't, you do now. you want to weigh in, you can now. today is your first chance. the washington metropolitan airport authority wants to raise the price from the current $2.25 to $4.50. gradually raising rates over three years. the extra fees would help pay for metro silver line. the agency is holding a public hearing at stone bridge ridge high school in ashburn at 5:00 tonight. two other meetings will be held next week. let's take a look at the midday traffic. >> danella, danella. that's your call. >> it is my call. it is a wet commute, but the good news is if you're traveling along i-270, it's not too bad.

live look as you make southbound and northbound, as well. no issues to report. clear to the beltway and let's talk about the beltway. taking the inner loop of the beltway checking speeds live look at connecticut avenue and you are underspeed just a bit. again, because the roadway is wet. if you're traveling in virginia, same thing on the beltway. live look as you make your way towards braddock. no accidents on the inner loop or outer loop, but definitely the rain will slow you down. expect delays if you're about to head out of the house. barbara, back over to you. police say they have several suspects in the stabbing of a high school student. someone stabbed a 17-year-old boy yesterday. doctors expect him to survive. administrators placed the school on lockdown as a precaution. police believe that stabber was another northwestern high school student. they aren't saying whether they have a motive for the attack at this time. d.c. police investigating two attacks. they want to know what many of

us know. are they connected? the most recent attack happened early tuesday morning. casey adams said he was walking near north carolina avenue and third street southeast. at the time he said he was on the phone with his wife, suddenly, two men jump him, demanding a cell phone and money. >> they left me there, you know, on the street just, i mean, i was unconscious for maybe a few moments. blood in my eye. i couldn't see, so i sort of stumbled this way and two blocks to my house. the first thing i said to my roommate when i opened the door, i can't believe this town. >> the other attack that has police wondering if they're tied in happened two weeks ago. two men attacked a 29-year-old man just a few blocks away from tuesday's incident. police have increased patrols in the area and hopes of catching those attackers. and right now, that figure skating coach accused of fondling one of his students is in court. 50-year-old teaches at the garden's ice house in laurel.

a 16-year-old student claims he kissed and fondled her during a competition in lake placid last year. news 4 uncovered the civil lawsuit in prince george's county. he said the incident happened within her hotel room. the suit goes on to say that he sent 500 text messages to the girl professing his love for her. the victim's family is speaking out through their attorney. >> i don't know if he's done it before and got away with it, i don't know if he plans to do it, again. all i know is, he's not going to do it any more to my client. >> his lawyer says the coach denies the accusations. the georgetown man suspected of killing his socialite wife is also a in court. psychiatrists say that 48-year-old muff has stopped eating, but is competent enough to understand the charges against him. muff is accused of killing 91-year-old viola draft last year. his trial is expected to start in october. the time is now 11:07. right here on news 4 midday. coming up, big gains this

morning on wall street. the dow is up more than 200 points. president obama's big night. we'll look at how president clinton set the stage for tonight's speech and election day. and now just two months away. and new information from the national zoo this morning. why he is now being watched 24 hours a day, we're keeping our eye on her. stay with us. heavy load in america. but mitt romney plan, a middle class to $2,000 more a year in taxes. multi-millionaires like himself hits the middle class harder... bigger break. forward for america? this message.

president obama will finally take center stage tonight at the democratic national convention. he'll accept his party's nomination for re-election. last night, though, it was bill clinton who brought delegates to their feet. he formally nominated obama in a nearly 50-minute speech that was mostly off script. nbc's tracie potts has more now from charlotte. >> reporter: the democrats' most popular living president, bill clinton making the case to re-elect barack obama. >> no one could have fully

repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. >> reporter: defending health reform. >> are we better off because president obama fought for health care reform? you bet we are. >> reporter: he attacked what he called lies about medicare cuts and welfare reform and condemned mitt romney's plan to reduce the debt and boost the economy. >> we simply cannot afford to give the reigns of government to someone who will double down on trickle down. >> reporter: in the official state-by-state vote put over the top. >> all 188 votes for the president and the next president of the united states, barack obama. >> reporter: in a surprise appearance, president obama joined clinton on stage. the president speaks tonight. vice president biden did a late-night walk through while break down continues at bank of

america stadium and his speech and all today's events moved inside amid the threat of severe weather dampening the democrats' final day. tracie potts, nbc news, charlotte, north carolina. and president obama may not be the only speaker who will electroify the crowd tonight. roll call is reporting that gabrielle giffords will deliver the pledge of allegiance. the spokesperson is confirming that gifford is in charlotte for the dnc. she resigned from congress, you remember, back in january a year after she was wounded in a shooting spree in arizona. the possible first lady will stop by a horseback riding economy. romney is an avid rider who started competing as part of her therapy for ms. virginia is considered one of the key battleground states that will help decide november's big election. as for her husband, the secret service is looking into claims that someone road off

with mitt romney's tax records. romney's political office in tennessee received an anonymous letter demanding a payment of $1 million to stop the records from being released. the letter included a flash drive, which secret service confiscated. romney's accounting firm said no evidence that any of his tax records were taken. tom brokaw says he's feeling much better after accidentally taking ambien this morning. the nbc special news correspondent said he was feeling light headed on the set of msnbc morning joe. he was taken to the hospital after a precaution. he tweeted he was okay and made a better comeback than the new york giants did last night. here's some exciting news the baby watch is continuing. now under 24-hour monitoring as veterinarians wait to see if she is, in fact, pregnant. the around the clock surveillance began on tuesday. the zoo has been watching her since late last month when they announced she was displaying

some higher hormone levels. however, they have warned it could be another false pregnancy. the update comes as the zoo announced a $400,000 grant to study the health of giant pan pandias. and storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson joins us now and before we go to weather -- >> hi, veronica. >> welcome. >> hi, veronica. >> but, keith is joining us now for news 4 midday and will be with us every day. >> great addition. >> he's in good health and doesn't break a leg. >> i'm going to stay in good health. next to you two, i'll stay in good health. >> i'm glad to be here and glad to be a part of this winning team. i left my hometown the only opportunity that could pull me from my hometown, this one right here. the nation's capital. being a part of a big news team and two impressive young ladies. i'm just happy to be here. >> we're impressed, we're glad you're here. >> the last couple of days you have been around we love chatting with you and you're a great addition, as well.

>> what is going on with the weather out there? >> what is going on with the weather. some areas have gotten showers and other areas it's poured this morning and really come down throughout the morning now that heavy rain is moving east. show you this before it hits twitter. columbia, maryland, 0.63 and when you think of some of the rain we have gotten over the last two days, it hasn't been anything like this. so, finally, we've seen more of the downpours around the area. sharletsville, virginia, close to an inch, inch and a half. look at that, the radar is still very colorful showing you the heavy and colorful rain east of frederi fedr fredericksburg and ocean city and salsbury getting hammered with heavy rain right now. buoy right now, seeing moderate

rain. that is moving east through annapolis. inside of d.c., moderate rains, as well. down around waldorf, quantico, fredericksburg, that is off to the east and inside of charles county. so, for areas that are getting more of the heavy rain around calvert beach and leonard town, this will be moving in. still right there, a little bit of lightning taking place that's east of chesapeake ranch estates and heading out over the open waters. for us, later today, clearing sky and most areas are going to be dry. check out the satellite in the radar review of the last couple of hours. look right here, the back edge, a clearing sky in western maryland. i think most of the rain is going to be over by about 2:00 today. areas south, though, may hang on to rain longer around here. pax river and maybe around fredericks burg can see showers and thunderstorms coming back.

temperatures in the 70s. mid-70s generally throughout the area and show you how the humidity hasn't come down at all. still in the low 70s and dew point temperatures and air still very saturated. there's the front and head down to the south and could see an isolated shower tomorrow and then we have a better chance of rain coming our way on saturday and 2:00 there on saturday and some showers and maybe a thunderstorm back during the afternoon. but that's the front that's really going to take down our temperatures. upper 70s by sunday. today, 89 to 93 turning partly sunny. your evening forecast, mostly clear, 75 to 82. there's a look at that four-day forecast. keith, pay attention now. 92 today. so, when we get the sunshine, a little bit of heat, 93 on friday and look at sunday, guys. isn't that incredible from the low 90s to 79. it will be beautiful on sunday and next week. the extended forecast next week. >> you know why, i'm happy you said it's clearing up. i don't own an umbrella.

>> you're joking. >> i have windshield wipers. you know how they work. >> come join us. you really don't need one, i guess. >> anyway, we will see you in a little bit. out to the roads, let's go. >> danella sealock, what is raining on our parade out there? >> the rain is slowing you down. right now i'm watching a tractor trailer accident. travelers in virginia traveling westbound, south washington boulevard as you approach 395, three of your left lanes are blocked by the crash in that area and the roadway really slick out there. please, give yourself extra time if you're about to leave the house. let's look at 395, not seeing any delays here. live look at duke street. delays as far as any congestion, but you are traveling just a bit under speed as you make your way to the 14th street bridge. the good news in this area, not seeing any accidents on 395, but give yourself some extra time and slow down. barbara and keith, back over to you. >> thank you, danella a. 19 minutes after 11:00 now. still ahead on "news 4 midday"

what is the best for aches and pain? ice or heat? we'll break it down for you, coming up. plus, steve hayes, he's here in the building with a look at some great leg shaping exercises. but, first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com.

let's talk about some real stuff. if you have some major pain or a serious injuries, there are steps you can take to relieve it. dr. raymond salano is here to explain when it's best to ice it and when it is best to heat it. i think if i get a hickey on this dome, i have ice it down. but if my back is hurting, ice.

>> there is an appropriate time to use cold and time to use heat. cold with an acute injury. something with a sudden onset that involved inflammation. something that has taken a long time to develop. benefits for cold, simply put, acute injury a, controls inflammation and it reduces that pain and when you reduce the pain, you promote your healing. >> and what about the heat benefits? >> now, with heat benefits. chronic injury. you're talking about joint pain and what the heat does is increases the blood flow and with increasing that blood flow you can control that pain and, most importantly, loosen the musculatu musculature. >> simply put, what do you use? >> me personally for an injury? >> you want to tell me what you e personally. tell me what you use personally? >> if i'm in the yard and i'm

doing some weeding or shooting hoops and i strain my back, i'll go to a cold pack. cold pack and i'll give away a lot of these in the office. the beauty of this, you can throw it in the freezer for an hour and it freezes, you can twist it and contour it to that body part or throw it in the microwave and you can actually heat it and use it as a heating pad. i would grab one of these if i have inflammation and pain. >> that is what you would grab. >> absolutely. >> now, what do others grab? >> most of the time peoplerab heat. who doesn't want a heat pad on their back or on their dome or on their head, right? so, that actually feels good. but, heat when used when ice is warranted, can actually increase inflammation and actually increase pain, prolong your aling time. >> now, i've been told certain times it's not good to apply one or the other for too long a time period. what are some of the risks? >> you know, no real risks for applying one or the other for an extended period of time. although it's more effective

when you use like 15 to 20-minute increments. but if you use heat therapy when cold therapy is warranted, it will prolong it. >> now, as a guy who is a little thrifty, can you get away with that over-the-counter stuff or do you have to go prescription? >> this stuff i like to call cold and heat on the go. so, you can get over the, you can get away with the stuff when you're on the go. i don't think it works as well as a traditional cold pack or heating pad, but this stuff is great when you're sitting in a long meeting or have to do some travel. >> i've been sitting in a long meeting. i need some icy/hot. if it is inflammation, you would benefit from bio freeze or ben came out with a product, this stuff here that actually heats is more for muscle stiffness or joint pain. >> give me this. give me this for those meetings. i'm taking this with me to my

next meeting. thanks for stopping by. >> my pleasure. >> good to see you, too. barb? 11:26 is the time. coming up in the next half hour, he is being called one of the most inflew wenshal owners in the history of the nfl. we'll look at the impact of art modell in our area. attacked by a beaver. we'll hear from the fairfax woman who lived through the experience. experience. an update on when anncr: it'll start out as concrete and steel... but it'll become so much more. a new world-class resort casino in prince george's county. two thousand construction jobs to build it. four thousand permanent, good-paying jobs when it's done. hundreds of millions for maryland schools... real oversight to make sure the money goes...

where it's supposed to. but none of it will happen unless we vote for... question seven this november. vote for question seven. and help build a better future for maryland.

right now. president obama is preparing to accept his party's nomination for re-election. he'll speak tonight to close the democratic national convention with a chance of storms, the president's speech has been moved from the outdoor football stadium where the carolina panthers play, almost 74,000 seats to the arena where the charlotte bobcats play that holds around 20,000. smaller crowd in person, but, no doubt, the crowds on couches all around the world will be huge. art modell the former owner

of the baltimore ravens died this morning at the age of 87. melissa mollet has more on his life and legacy he leaves behind. >> he was as known for his departure from cleveland as his arrival in charm city. the 87-year-old died of natural causes early this morning with his family by his side. he was admitted to johns hopkins just yesterday. modell's son david released this statement saying he was adored by the entire baltimore community for his kindness and generosity and he loved baltimore. ravens' owner said he was my friend, my mentor and we will miss him so much and roger goodell any conversation with art included laughs. he always left you with a smile on your face. fans saddened to hear of his passing remembering when he introduced the ravens to baltimore. >> really curage as thing he did from moving the team from

cleveland to baltimore and my most vivid memory is him hoisting the trophy in 2000. he is going to be missed and he's done a lot for this community. >> reporter: he purchased the cleveland browns for $4 million back in 1961, but by the mid-'90s he said he was losing millions and decided to make a move to broins' fans everywhere he brought the franchise to baltimore. you could say the move tarnished his reputation in ohio, but here in baltimore, nearly everyone was thrilled. the colts had gin gone for more than a decade and, once again, baltimore had a team. >> he brought football back to our town that hasn't happened for years. i mean, kids didn't even know football was until art came. it's just sad. >> reporter: but the move was also believed to be the main reason modell n it to the football hall of fame. one of the finalists in 2001 and a semifinalists between 2004 and

2011. >> more of a better memory to come to the game and just to be able to enjoy the game and just see what he did. >> reporter: during his four decades as an nfl owner, modell served as president of the league and helped negotiate the contracts with television networks and the first collective bargaining agreement with the players in 1968. modell's wife of 42 years passed away last october. >> without him the city of baltimore wouldn't be what it is today. beautiful stadium and amazing team that the community has to rally around. >> modell is survived by his two sons, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren. at m&t stadium, melissa mollet. d.c. police are asking for help finding a robber who held up a guy at church! this is a surveillance picture from the st. steven's church on stevens street. police say the gunman went into the church and ordered the victim to the ground and went through his pockets and got away

with money, iphone and other items. then a woman walked in and he pointed the gun at her, too. if you know this guy, call the cops. a fairfax county woman is expected to get out of the hospital today after a frightening encounter with a rabbit beaver. the woman was swimming near bailee's crossroad on tsday night when she was attacked. 83-year-old lillian peterson tells us she was getting out of the water when the animal came out of no where biting her several times. she credits a friend who heard her cries for help for saving her life. >> well i would have been dead if he didn't. we were good friends to begin with, but i would have been dead. no two ways about it. >> fairfax animal control euthanized the beaver on the spot. tests later showed the 50-pound animal did have rabies. peterson says she will never go swimming at that lake, again. let's check, again, with veronica johnson, not a great day to go swimming anywhere.

>> there's a reason. storm team 4 meteorologist is inside. >> that's right. today, we're all trying to stay dry, right? traffic has been slow as danella a has been telling us about a lot of areas down south that heavy rain i-95 and 301. you can see we still have a mostly cloudy gray sky out there and i am expecting some sunshine. your rain in annapolis and down towards waldorf and around leonard town and around areas just south of cambridge and some of that heavy rain make aing its way eastward for salsbury and even around maryland's eastern shore. there is your rain, again, around annapolis and waldorf moving out of the d.c. area. as far as bethesda goes, a little wet. heavy rain and lightning about to make its way towards eastern maryland. there you go, some of the heavy rain probably some one and two-inch rain totals occurring down there. i like the fact that i'm seeing

clearing skies back to the west. around western maryland right now and around areas of petersburg we'll get sunshine in here later and with that sunshine, a chance to warm up. future weather by 3:00 today, any chance of a shower or storm, i think, just down to the south of our area. lexington and maybe around cambridge, again, highs today into the low 90s but really feeling more like we're around 95 to 9d 6 good grees. more rain for saturday. i'll talk more about that coming up with a look at, yeah, hurricane leslie. >> another one on the way. >> we don't want to hear that. bethesda couple was keeping their eye on the sky after making a surprising discovery in their backyard. sarah wagshall discovered what looked like a gas cap while mowing her lawn. her husband looked online and determined it came from a military aircraft. the couple says they wanted more information because they were concerned about parts falling from the sky, but got no answers from the faa. >> if there are fuel caps coming

out that means the fuel is leaving and that's evaporating in the air and pollution problems and other kind of problems. so, we really felt it was important to talk to somebody who was an official. >> wagshah says there is a data base of aircrafts where similar parts have fallen off, but she says she'd like more to be done to make thur sh caps are put on correctly in the first place. i'm sure she would. >> let's head out to the roads and see if weather is contributing to any of the problems. >> as veronica mentioned, we are seeing heavy rain, especially along i-95 and i am seeing some accidents. crash there blocking two of your right lanes and you're absolutely jammed from about 234 as you make your way northbound. the other thing to look out for, southbound i-95 at lorten. multi-vehicle crash on the right side of the roadway and you have to stick to the left to get by and pretty slow in this area and i also saw some smoke, so fire

department on the scene there, as well. 395 as you make your way northbound at washington boulevard. this accident was blocking the left lanes, it just got moved to the left shoulder lane. so, you are seeing some volume as you make your way northbound on 395 and over to the rails really quickly. escalators are down at the roslym metro station and an earlier train malfunction at union station. it's gone, but delays continue as you head to shady grove. keith and barbara, back to you. >> danella, i want to hear about a drive, a redskins drive down the field. i want to drive and drive and drive that ball down the field. rg3 about to start his career. go down to new orleans and rip it up. rg3 was solid in the preseason. two duttouchdowns, no interceptions. preseason is preseason. how we judge his career starts this weekend, but, remember, it's just one game. his teammates have pumped him up in public, but, come on, common

sense tells you, this guy's going to be a little nervous. >> everybody gets nervous. you know, everyone gets antsy, anxious, any word you want to use to put on it. it happens. but you do try to stay calm and i have to, i have to stay calm. i can't go in there and be stumbling over my words or too excited in the huddle with those guys, but the way i approach it is stay calm, make sure you walk in the huddle with confidence so the guys are confident with what you're running and then go from there. >> redskins and saints 1:00 sunday afternoon in the super dome. trust me, from covering games in domes, they're loud. rookie quarterback loud dome, but something tells me this guy will not be rattled. as a skins' fan, were you happy the cowboys beat the giants 24-17 to open the nfl season last night? i know the cowboys are hated, but, remember, they always fade late in the season and those super bowl champs did not look super. tony romo, 300 yards, three

touchdowns. giants' quarterback eli manning on the other hand, he couldn't stay off his back. sacked three times. let's hope it stays that way. because the giants, they prove it year after year. they're the ones to worry a about, not the cowboys. and, barbara, you're standing with the giants. i just can't believe how big this guy's guns are. that's all i notice are those guns. >> yeah, i know it. you said you'd like to have just one arm. steve, why don't we show them, he's talking about standing here. all right, well, you're going to have to get him in shape. >> i look forward to it. let's do it. >> listen, there is still some summer left for showing off your sporty legs and if you aren't quite ready to get out and show your legs, steve's here to tell us how we can do it. now, you're going to concentrate on the hamstrings. >> the hamstrings, yes. >> the hamstrings are important. that's the back part -- >> the back part of the leg.

>> okay. but how is that going to help a woman's figure? >> the hamstring is the connector. that's the most important part of the leg because it connects the hips, the quads. so, when you have that hamstring it allows you to exercise more and allows you to get that leg in shape and those little pockets, what do they call it, cottage cheese pockets. >> i don't know what you call it. i have my own name for it. >> but what it does, it tightens up that leg. this is the most especially part of the leg, that hamstring. >> we like to get rid of the dimpling. >> that's what it is called, dimpling. >> let's see how you do it. first of all, let's say you're at home, at the beach or anywhere or if you're at home and you have a chair, just take your leg, put it up on the chair here and just step out and just push up when you push up, just tighten up the leg. just balance it like that. that works the hamstring. that's one exercise. the other one is that, just push. but, see, the thing about it,

when you push -- >> just make sure whatever you have. is this, maybe i should sit it down and hold it down for you. >> this thing is set in. you just push, but, again, what you do is grab your hamstring, too, that will make you concentrate on it more. the secret is the hamstring is to take a nice pace and push it forward. >> you've got another one you want to show us. >> oh, yes. this is the one where that we're going to work the front part of the leg, too. this is with the band. take it here, lock the band in. and you can just hold on to something. bring it up. and push it down. now, see, this way you're working the hips, quads, hamstring and getting those legs tight. get the dimples out. >> now, you also say walking is a really a great thing. will it do the same thing this will do? >> walking is a good, walking will outdo this any time because one thing is when you're walking you're utilizing the total body. you know, one thing we have to remember as we get older if we

don't, we sit around a lot, osteoporosis cyst sets in. when we fall, hurt our hips because bones get brittle. doing the walking it keeps the legs strengthened and the hamstring. >> walking is good for people of all ages. yes, indeed. >> what is your wellness tip for today? >> the wellness tip for today, hey, guys, this is national prostate cancer month. so, we need to get our checkup, but, also, we can get some fruits and vegetables that are good like cauliflower, spinach. >> do you eat that? >> i love it. all the time. >> some guys don't like it. all right, steve hayes, always great to see you. >> thank you, barbara. >> let's sign him up. >> oh, he's right on time. >> i do need to eat some more vegetables. i'll admit. still ahead on news 4 midday -- plus, where to find some of the best tacos in d.c. stay us with.

i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. mitt romney's position on women's health...it's dangerous. vo:mitt romney and paul ryan would get rid of planned parenthood funding. and allow employers to deny coverage for cancer screenings and birth control. we can't afford to let him take away our choices...

to take away basic health care. vo: both backed proposals to outlaw abortions...even in cases of rape and incest. i don't think that women's health issues have faced a crisis like this in decades.

doctors want to change the packaging for laundry and dishwasher detergent to make them more child resistant. these detergent pods are colorful and are attractive and even look like colorful candy to children. poison control centers have reported an increase in kids eating them. they contain strong cleaning agents that can be very, very dangerous if ingested. the weekly jobs report is out and the number of people seeking unemployment benefits is down. cnbc hampton pearson joins us with more on that and the rest of the business headlines. that's some good news. >> absolutely, keith. as a matter of fact, we have markets in positive territory right from the start of the opening bell. good news about the jobs outlook and the european debt crisis. right now the dow is up 240 points. the nasdaq up 60 and the s&p up 27 and the number of people filing for unemployment benefits fell by 12,000 last week to

365,000. that's the lowest level in a month. jobless claims need to stay below 375,000 to move the unemployment rate lower. now, at the same time, a closely watched survey of private sector job growth last month is coming in with more positive news. private employers added 201,000 jobs, according to payroll processor adp, much higher than the 140,000 estimate. it is the highest one-month gain since march and july job growth in the private sector was revised upward, as well. tomorrow morning at 8:30, we get the labor department jobs report for the month of august. ford is recalling 7,600 of its ford escape suvs. cool. leaks can cause engines to overheat or catch fire. the recall affects the 2013 model escape with the 1.6 4 cylinder injure engines. it also had some problems with

fuel lines and carp at padding. again, back to wall street. traders react aing positively after a pledge from the head of the european central bank to launch a new program to buy bonds from european governments struggling with their debt. ecb president mario said the program will have no set limit and it will lower the borrowing costs of debt-ridden countries in the euro zone. the markets off to the races in positive territory. keith, back to you. >> a positive reason for us to feel positive. hampton, thanks for stopping by. >> you got it. he's a soft spoken artist who also happens to be a straight a student. math is his favorite subject. today's wednesday's child is modest, polete, his name is keith. sadly, he had to deal with big disappointments in his short life. here's his story. cartoon characters are his specialty. and at 13 years old, keith says he loves art of all kinds. and like seeing what other people create. >> when i go to art a, i like to

look for things like collages, sculptures and different things you don't normally see that people do. >> reporter: keith enjoys checking out many of the art books here at the children's art studio. his social worker says he's a bright young man. >> keith is a wonderful child. he's incredibly artistic and he does beautifully in school. cognitatively he's right on track. he's in the eighth grade and working on grade level. >> what is your favorite subject? >> math. >> and are you doing well in math? >> yes. >> what kind of grades are you making? >> as. >> congratulations. >> keith is modest about the things he does well. those who know him say he's just a nice guy. but he has had some disappointments in his young life. >> about six years ago keith came into care with his siblings, who have since been adopted. so, at this point, we're looking for keith to have a permanent family, as well, so he can belong to a family much like his siblings. >> keith says the hardest part

about being in foster care is having to move so often. >> what are you hoping will happen. >> i'm hoping that i won't have to move around a lot like i did before. and that i'll get adopted. the people for me someone who is caring, loving, won't give up easily. they just won't doubt you whenever you're doing something. >> it turns out, keith is also very good with clay. he created and painted a bowl and definitely impressed the art aest's owner of the children's art studio. >> i think he has a really unique style and all of his own and i love how he's so confident. when he walked in, we asked him to just draw on this big white piece of paper, which is kind of a lot of pressure and he just dove right in and got to work right away. >> some art supplies were her gift to keith to take home. he also got a gift certificate. >> you can come back and take a class or do a camp or have a party here. so, i hope i see you again really soon. >> thank you. >> you're very welcome. >> if you have room in your home and your heart for keith or

another child who is waiting, please call our special adoption hotline. the number is 188-to-adopt-me or to our home page at n nbcwashington.com. >> as always, barbara, amazing story. job well done. >> thank you. coming up, d.c.'s taco invasion. plus, meteorologist veronica johnson will be back to let us know if the stormy weather has

in today's weekend scene, a guide to the area's best tacos. here with some highlights. >> we're both from texas. >> that's right. >> so, we are going to get some real authentic tacos in the washington area now. >> washington tonians have been complaining that there are no real mexican tacos and mexican food here in district. >> salvadoran in the city, but what we're going to see is a lot of real mexican, made by real mexican chefs who came in here and saw that there is room to grow. >> this is the year of the taco and we're going to start with a funky columbia heights cantina that has a good taco, you say. >> it was actually founded by a mexican chef, her name is diana

duvilla bolden and she came from chicago and she really wanted to make the kind of food she grew up on. what she makes is amazing tacos where they're real corn tortilas and really soft and delicious. a taco that she makes with squash and these are really authentic tacos we're going to see here. >> moving on to a restaurant that focuses on dainty little street snacks. a dainty taco. >> that's right, in columbia heights is actually right near howard university makes fantastic tacos that are street size. this is exactly what you'd see on the street in mexico. and they are delicious, lots of options for vegetarians and they're just $4 for two tacos. you can't beat that. >> does that look good, too. >> finally, some taco making brothers in town. >> that's right. this just opened in august. this is the street track from arlington that has opened a store front in d.c. and they are serving langwa which is beef tongue and also a

great place for vegetarians. some really great vegetarian tacos and $2.50 apiece and the shop is really cute and this is as real as it gets. these guys are third generation taco makers. >> we have to check that out. okay, we have a date and we'll see you next week. >> thanks, darb ru. more ideas for us on our weekend, for that, you can logon to nbcwashington.com or going out guide at washingtonpost.com. keith? >> i love tacos. might be down with them, that doesn't mean they're down with me. let's take a look now at some of the stories we're following on news 4 this afternoon. coming up on news 4 at 4:00, a plane grounded in philly and a passenger pulled from the flight while police are now saying he was the victim of a very bad joke. then an 86-year-old man trapped in a burning car. two police officers rush in to help. the dramatic dash cam video you've got to see. five baby stores, retail stores and supermarkets, where can parents find the cheapest diapers around? liz crenshaw breaks that down.

>> that's a lot coming up. quickly, what's going on with weather the rest of the day? >> heaviest rain moving out, thank goodness. sunshine later and it's going to be heating up. we have a four-day forecast for you here and 92 degrees, again, rain moves out and 93 and hot tomorrow, too. >> all right, thank you. >> it was fun. it was real. see you at news 4 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 later today. >> more news 4 midday and plan to join us for that, until then, have a terrific day and we'll see you in the morning.